Pattern analysis of corrugated horn antennas

The corrugated horn has been established as an antenna with low sidelobes and backlobes, rotationally symmetric patterns (for square pyramidal and conical horn shapes), and broad-band performance [1]-[9]. These properties make this horn useful for many applications. Previous studies have used conventional aperture integration techniques to evaluate the patterns of the corrugated horn. In general, the near axis -plane radiation pattern of a pyramidal corrugated horn may be adequately predicted from standard analysis established for the -plane patterns of conventional horn geometries [3]. This method, however, fails to predict the far-out sidelobe and backlobe radiation levels. The work presented here uses a knowledge of the aperture fields to predict the pattern using aperture integration and diffraction theory. The assumptions made concerning the aperture fields were verified by probing the internal fields and aperture fields of an band corrugated horn. The results of this field probing are contained in the Appendix. The method of solution used in this paper parallels that used in previous publications [10]-[12]. Specifically, the pattern in the main beam region is computed using conventional aperture integration procedures, the contribution of the -plane edges is found using a slope diffraction analysis, and the contribution of the -plane edges is found by use of duality.